Summary
Kingdom Heartsfans are only just realising that Kairi hits Sora in the head during the opening hour of the first game due to how 1.5 HD Remix changes the ratio of cutscenes.
After the Kingdom Hearts fanbase spent most of the early 2000s begging for thePS2games to be released on modern consoles,the 1.5 and 2.5 HD Remixes felt like a godsend. Getting to experience almost every game in the series in their best states (ignoring 358/2 Days and Re:Coded, of course) was agreat way to bring Kingdom Hearts back after years of handheld-only outings.
That being said, there are a few things that the HD Remixeschanged about the original Kingdom Hearts games that aren’t necessarily for the better. While the updated visuals are great, the zoomed-in camera during cutscenes does result in some confusing moments, including one that newer fans are only just noticing.
Over on Twitter,DoxycDreamer shared their experience playing Kingdom Hearts on a CRT screenand noted that the original PS2 release made them realise that Kairi actually hits Sora on the head as part of her first scene. DoxycDreamer explained that the HD Remix’s zoomed-in camera made it seem like Sora just had a headache.
That isn’t what’s happening, though. As anyone who played the game on the PS2 will know, Kairi smacks Sora to wake him up after he starts babbling about his encounter with Darkside. Some fans pointed out in the replies that you can hear the thunk noise of Kairi’s hand hitting Sora even in the HD version, but it is a little harder to tell with the new angle.
Funnily enough, this interaction between Sora and Kairi is referenced in Birth by Sleep, with Aqua gently placing her hand on Ventus' head after he wakes up in a similar manner to Sora.
I’m pretty deep down the Kingdom Hearts well so I was expecting everyone to say this was obvious,but there are a surprising number of fans who also had no idea that Kairi was smacking Sora on the head. It’s a little out of character for her considering how calm she is in later games, but at least the good word is being spread about her beginnings.
